1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional fabric that is especially useful in the manufacture of camouflage garments. In particular, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a composite camouflage material, wherein strips of fabric having irregular edges and having a desired appearance, such as the color of leaves in their various seasons or other patterns intended to represent foliage, are fastened to a substrate formed of a woven textile or other pliable sheet material along plural spaced lines of attachment in such a manner as to cause the attached leafy shaped material to project away from the plane of the substrate and give a three-dimensional, high definition, optical impression of the depth of natural foliage. Such material is used to create camouflage garments or other products.
2. Description of Related Art
Camouflage garments worn by hunters, warriors and armed forces personnel for purposes of concealment most likely predate written history. In the more recent past, a variety of garments have been manufactured in an attempt to impart a three-dimensional forest appearance to the surfaces of a garment. One method of manufacture utilizes multiple layers of strips of material to produce a garment known in the art as a “Ghillie Suit.” A problem with the Ghillie Suit, however, is that they are heavy, cumbersome and expensive. Another method of manufacture utilizes material which is photo-imprinted with naturalistic forest scenes. A problem with photo-imprinted garments is that they do not provide any three-dimensional depth and they do not conceal the silhouette of the garment or its wearer.
Another type of three-dimensional garment is produced by first stitching a layer of camouflage material onto an underlying mesh fabric or other substrate with parallel spaced rows of stitches. The camouflage layer is then cut into a leafy shape by cutting the fabric in an irregular pattern between the rows of stitches. Although this method of fabric manufacturing provides something of a three-dimensional effect, a problem with this construction is that the resulting outer “leafy” layer tends to lay flat against the substrate even though lobes are cut in the fabric, unless and until the fabric is bent around body parts when the garment is worn. Efforts have been made to improve these types of two layer garments by heating and shrinking the outer material after it has been attached to the substrate material , typically by applying hot air or infrared radiation to the outer surface of the camouflage material. One problem with this process is that it cannot be used where the substrate is manufactured from typical waterproof material or scent absorbing material, which has a melting point significantly less than the temperature applied to the outer layer.
Another method of manufacture involves die cutting strips of camouflage, coating the strips with urethane to prevent fraying, and then folding the strips to produce overlapping layers of folded material and then sewing the folds down on a garment. One problem with this construction is that the folds of outer material create a rustling noise when a person moves, thereby negating stealth. The folded layers also use quite a bit more material than non-folded layers.